Chopsticks
About this arrangement
Euphemia Allen wrote it in 1877 at sixteen, published under the pen name "Arthur de Lulli" - her only published piece, and now one of the most-played tunes in the world.
Get the alternating F-G "chop" even at a slow tempo before speeding up - most of what people play from memory drifts off pitch after the first line.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 What are the notes for Chopsticks on piano?
Right hand, alternating in quick pairs: F and G (twice through), then G and A a step higher (twice through), back to F and G (twice through), and finishing on E and F (twice through). All white keys, in 3/4 time.
02 What key is Chopsticks in?
C major - there are no sharps or flats anywhere in the tune, even though it rarely gets played with any sense of the 3/4 waltz meter it was written in.
03 Is Chopsticks a real piece, or just something people bang out?
It began as a real published composition - "The Celebrated Chop Waltz" by Euphemia Allen, 1877. This page teaches a compact beginner arrangement of its familiar alternating pattern with a left-hand part.
04 Do you need two people to play Chopsticks?
No - it started life as a piece one person plays, though it became famous as a duet party trick. This arrangement is written for a single player, right hand carrying the tune.